31 December 2010

Congratulations on the new year or the occasion of Mawlid

Fatwa no. 20795
Q 1: Is it permissible to congratulate non-Muslims on the occasion of the new Gregorian year, the new Hijri (lunar) year, and the Mawlid (the Prophet’s birthday)?
A: It is not permissible to offer congratulations on such occasions; for it is not Mashru‘ (Islamically permissible) to celebrate them.
May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions!

Member: Bakr Abu Zayd
Member: Salih Al-Fawzan
Member: `Abdullah ibn Ghudayyan
Chairman :`Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah Al Al-Shaykh
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30 December 2010

A Forgotten Sunnah – Between the Jumu’ah and Sunnah Prayer.

A Forgotten Sunnah – Between the Jumu’ah and Sunnah Prayer.

‘Umar ibn ‘Ata bin Abi Al-Khuwar narrated that Nafi bin Jubair sent him to As-Sa’ib bin Yazid,the maternal nephew of Namir, asking him regarding something Mu’awiyah had seen him do in the prayer. He said: “ I prayed Jum’uah with Mu’awiyah in his enclosure and when he finished, I stood up in my place and prayed. When he went inside he sent for me and said” Do not repeat what you have just done. If you pray Jum’uah don’t join it with another prayer until you speak or exit the masjid. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us to separate between prayers. One prayer mustn’t be joined with another until you speak or exit.

Collected by Muslim [ 883]

Benefits for this subject:

· Ibn Munthir ( [318 H] may Allah have mercy on him) narrated an athar in his Awsot about this hadeeth from the acts of our Salaf. He wrote, “ Ibn Umar saw a man pray two rakah after Jum’uah and he stopped him. Ibn Umar asked the man,” Are you praying four rakah for Jum’uah!” It was Ibn Umar’s practice to pray the two sunnah prayers for Jum’uah in his home. He said, “ This was the way of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) [ Al-Awsot vol 4 /136]

· Shaykh Al-Uthaymeen (may Allah rest him in Firdous ) said “There are numerous lessons derived from this hadeeth.” Some of those lessons are:

1. A person doesn’t join one prayer with another until he speaks between them. No Fard prayer with a Sunnah. On the other hand the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray the Nawafil prayers at night in two rakah, two rakah with no separating between them.

2. The shar’iah places importance in differentiating between Fard and Nafil. This hadeeth proves it.


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27 December 2010

We worship Allah with love, hope and fear

Taken from: www.spubs.com article ID: SCL010003


All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds and prayers and peace upon His Messenger, Muhammad.

In this lesson we shall try to develop an understanding of some of the characterstics of worship (ibaadah) - which begins in the heart. Thus, this lesson is really dealing with the ‘actions of the heart’ - you should remember what this is from the first lesson.

Ibn Taymiyyah (rh) gave the definition of worship as follows:

"Worship is everything that Allaah loves and is pleased with from the inward and outward sayings and actions."

In other words this is very similar to the complete and comprehensive definition of eemaan that we dealt with in Lesson 1. This lesson will deal with the ‘inward actions of the heart’ which really form the basis of a Muslim’s servitude to Allaah.

As usual we shall summarise the lesson with a quotation. Today’s quotation should be easy for everyone. It is the first few verses of Surah Faatihah!



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24 December 2010

Major sins


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23 December 2010

Seize five things from the people of your time…

عن عبد الرحمن بن أبي حاتم الرازي قال

From (the Scholar) Abdur Rahman ibn Abee Haatim Ar-Raazee who said:

دَخَلْتُ دَمَشْقَ عَلَى كَتَبَةِ الحَدِيْثِ فَمَرَرْتُ بِحَلَقَةِ قَاسِم الجُوْعِي

I entered upon the students of hadeeth in Damascus and I passed by the circle (halaqah) of (the Scholar) Qaasim al Joo’ee

فَرَأَيْتُ نَفَراً جُلُوْساً حَوْلَهُ وَهُوَ يَتَكَلَّمُ عَلَيْهِمْ
So I saw a group sitting around him and he was speaking to them

فَهَالَنِي مَنْظَرُهُمْ، فَتَقَدَّمْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُوْلُ

Their appearance amazed me, so I went and sat and heard him say:

اِغْتَنِمُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ زَمَانِكُمْ خَمْساً

Seize five things from the people of your time:

إِنْ حَضَرْتُمْ لَمْ تُعْرَفُوا

When you are present (attending something), you are not known

وَإِنْ غِبْتُمْ لَمْ تُفْتَقَدُوا

And when you are absent, you are not missed

وَإِنْ شَهِدْتُمْ لَمْ تُشَاوَرُوا

And when you are present your advice is not sought

وَإِنْ قُلْتُمْ شَيْئاً لَمْ يُقْبَلْ قَوْلُكُمْ

And when you say something, your speech is not accepted

وَإِنْ عَمِلْتُمْ شَيْئاً لَمْ تُعْطَوا بِهِ

And when you do something, you are not given anything for it

أُوْصِيْكُمْ بِخَمْسٍ أَيْضاً

I also advise you with five things:

إِنْ ظُلِمْتُمْ لَمْ تَظْلِمُوا

When you are wronged, you do not wrong others

وَإِنْ مُدِحْتُمْ لَمْ تَفْرَحُوا

And when you are praised, you do not become happy

وَإِنْ نُدِمْتُمْ لَمْ تَجْزَعُوا

And when you are criticized, you do not become sad

وإن كُذِّبْتُمْ فَلَا تَغْضَبُوا

And when you are not believed, then do not become angry


وَإِنْ خَانُوكُمْ فَلَا تَخُوْنُوا.

And others betray you, then do not betray them

قَالَ: فَجَعَلْتُ هَذَا فَائِدَتِي فِي دَمَشْقَ

So I took this as my benefit from Damascus

من كتاب الزهد لابن أبي حاتم الرازي

From Kitaabuz-Zuhd by Ibn Abee Haatim Ar-Raazee
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22 December 2010

Tale-Carrying

Bismillaah innal hamdulillaah was salaatu was salaamu `alaa
rasoolillaah wa `alaa aalihi wa sahbihi ajma`een, wa ba`ad...

as salaamu `alaykunna wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh-

Tale carrying involves converying the speech of one group of people to another in order to spread dissention between them. Allaah has indeed censured the one described with this characteristic and forbade against listening to his speech as He Says (meaning): "And do not obey every habitual swearer and slanderer going about with malicious gossip: preventer of good, transgressing and sinful." [68:10-12]


His statement "going about with malicious gossip" refers to the one who goes around among the people inciting discord and carrying tales as mentioned in Tafseer ibn Katheer.

Tale carrying is from the major sins: On authority of ibn `Abbaas (radiyAllaahu `anhumaa) that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) passed by two graves and they were being tormented, but they were not being tormented for something great, while indeed it is a major sin. One of them carried tales and the other did not keep himself free from being defiled by urine. [Saheehayn]

...Hudhayfah said, "I heard the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) say: 'A slanderer (Qattaat) will not enter Paradise.' " [Bukhaaree #6056/10]

His statement "Qattaat" is explained in the narration of Muslim: "A tale carrier (Nammaam) will not enter Paradise."

It is said that the slanderer (Qattaat) is one that listens to something that he does not know about, and then he converys what he has heard.

So the affair of tale carrying is a dangerous one, it creates dissention between friends and corrupts the strong bonds that connect them...

It is from corruption and animosity. Allaah has prohibited corruption as He Says (meaning): "And do not seek corruption in the land. Indeed, Allaah does not like people of corruption." [28:77]

rather, He orders rectification: "Fear Allaah and rectify that which is between you." [8:1] Additionally He Says (meaning): "And if two factions from the believers should fight, then reconcile between them." [49:9]

He Says (meaning): "There is no good in much of their private conversation, except for those who enjoin charity or that which is good or reconciliation between people. Whoever does that seeking the pleasure of Allaah, then We will give him a great reward." [4:114]

And the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said from the narration of abu ad-Dardaa': "Should I not inform you of something more excellent in degree than fasting and giving charity?" They said, 'Of course, O Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam)!' He said, "Reconciliation between the people and the corruption of this is destructive (Haaliqah)." [as-saheeh al-Musnad 149/2, abu Daawood]

"Haaliqah" is the characteristic that usually causes people to shave; meaning it destroys and eliminates the religion just as the razor eliminates the hair. It is also saod that it is the severing of family ties and mutual oppression. [an-Nihaayah 428/1]

From the examples of efforts to corrupt relationships is the inciting of a woman against her husband.

Abu Daawood narrated upon the authority of abu Hurayrah (radiyAllaahu `anhu) who said that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: "Whoever incites the wife of a man or his servant against him is not from us." [Hasan]

Therefore, it is obligatory to strive towards reconciliation between the Muslims and not to corrupt them.

Moreover, his statement "is not from us" is if he was in opposition to Islaamic Law. then he is considered a disbeliever so the meaning entails that he is not upon our rligion...if he was negligent, then the meaning here is that he is not upon our way. Also from the pious predecessors, there were those who said that it should be understood as it was revealed...


Know that the one who carries tales to you carries tales about you. So I advise whoever possesses this characteristic with softness, easiness, and good admonition time after time. However, if she is not reprimanded, then warn your sisters from her and stay away from her gatherings.

The people of knowledge differ regarding backbiting and tale carrying. Do they oppose one another or are they similar? The position supported by al-Haafidh (rahimahullaah) is that dissimilarity exists between the two and that between the two are both general and specific aspects...carrying tales is conveying the condition of a person to other than him for the purpose of spreading mischief without his consent, regardless of whether he knew about it or not; whereas backbiting is mentioning him in his absence with that which is displeasing to him. Therefore, tale carrying is distinct in that it is done with the intention of spreading mischief and this is not a condition applicable backbiting. Backbiting is distinct in that it occurs in the absence of the subject of the backbiting; but both carrying tales and backbiting share in other than what has been mentioned...

Indeed shaykh Muhammad ibn `abdul-Wahhaab (rahimahullaah) mentioned a chapter entitled "Chapter: In clarification of some of the types of magic" in Kitaab at-Tawheed. From the evidences that he mentioned is the prophetic narration narrated by Muslim upon the authority of ibn Mas`ood (radiyAllaah `anhu) that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: "Should I not inform you what slandering is? It is a tale carrying which creates dissention amongst people." The explainer of Kitaab at-Tawheed - `abdur-Rahmaan Hasan said that ibn `abdul-Barr mentioned upon the authority of Yahyaa ibn abee Katheer who said, "The one who carries tales and backbites corrupts in one hour what a magician cannot corrupt in a year." Abul-Khattaab said, "And from magic is laboring in carrying tales and spreading corruption between the people." [`Uyyoon al-Masaa'il] He said, "And he pointed out that he means harm with his speech and action by way of deceit and trickery which resembles magic, and this is commonly known to the people, by way of custom, that it produces and generates results which are similar to magic, or even more so. Thus, it is assigned the ruling of magic in an attempt to unite that which is similar or approximate. However, it is said, 'The magician disbelieves by way of his association to magic.' This is a specific affair with specific evidence, while the other is not a magician; but rather indeed, his action produces what a magician may produce, so he is given the same ruling except in what is specific to magic like disbelief and the abandonment of accepting a magician's repentance." [al-Furoo']




My Advice to the Women
Shaykhah Umm `Abdillaah al-Waadi'iyyah (haafidahallaah)
pgs. 43-52
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21 December 2010

“I am from amongst those few.”

The Prophet (‘aleyhi salat wa salam) said:

“The life spans of my Ummah are between sixty and seventy years, few amongst them surpass this.”

Ibn Urfah said: “I am from amongst those few.”

Shaykh Al-Albaani (rahimahullaah) comments:

“I say; I am also amongst those few, for I have surpassed the age of 84, I ask Allaah the Glorified, that I am amongst those who lived long with good deeds. But I also almost wish that I pass away, due to what the Muslims have been afflicted with concerning deviation from the religion, and what is happening to them, even from the lowly. But how can I wish so, while the Hadeeth of Anas has been before my eyes since my youth, I cannot say except what my Prophet ordered me to say: “O Allaah, keep me alive as long as living is better for me, and take my soul if death is better for me.”

Sahih Mawarid Ad-Dhaman”, 2087
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20 December 2010

Most Superior way of asking for Forgiveness from Allah

The Messenger of Allaah – may peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him – said :

Indeed the major supplication for forgiveness is to say

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لا إِلَهَ إِلا أَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَإِنَّهُ لا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلا أَنْ

“Allaahumma anta rabbee, la ilaha illa anta, Khalaqtanee, wa ana abduka,
wa ana ala ahdika wa wa’dika mastata’tu, a’outhu bika min sharri ma
sanatu, aboo’u laka bini’matika alayya, wa aboo’u bitahmbee, faghfirlee
fa’innahu la yaghfiru ath-thunooba ‘illa ‘anta” [ Sahih Bukhari Vol.8 Hadith no:318]

“O Allaah You are my Lord, there is none worthy of worship in truth except You, You created me and
I am Your slave and I am abiding to Your covenant and promise as best as I can, I seek refuge in You
from the evil that I have committed, I profess to you my sins and I acknowledge Your favour upon me,
so forgive me verily no one forgives sins except you.”

So if the worshipper says this when the morning arrives, truly believing init and he dies enters Paradise,
and if he says this when the evening arrives truly believing in it enters Paradise.

——
The above is taken from

* Gaining Rewards, taken from ‘Saheeh al-Kalima at-Tayib’ - By Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah -Checked by Imaam Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaanee [PDF] Must Read !!
This collection of hadeeth, contain some of the valuable pearls of sayings, from the Messenger of Allaah – may peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him. They yield immense rewards, in return of easy & effortless actions, for those whom Allaah has made them easy.

Related Book:

Fortress of The Muslim - Hisn Al Muslim

Fortress of The Muslim – Hisn Al Muslim – Saaed Al Qahtaani – 57 [Frames HTML Version] [PDF] [Book]

Invocations from the Qur’an & Sunnah. Translation of Hisnul-Muslim. (aka ‘Citadel of the Believer’).This is a very beautiful booklet consists of many authentic Dua’s (supplications) for a Muslim to supplicate on a daily basis and on special occasions.
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19 December 2010

The first dialogue between woman and man

Suddi narrated through Abu Saalih and Abu Maalik from Ibn ‘Abbaas and Ibn Mas’ud, and also from some other Companions who said:

Iblis (Satan) was expelled from Paradise and Adaam was made to dwell in it. He wandered through it alone as he had no partner in whom he could seek his comfort. However, once he slept and when he woke up, he found a woman sitting near his head, whom Allaah had created from his rib. Adam asked her: “What are you?” She replied: “A woman.” He asked her again: “What are you created for?” She answered: “So you could seek comfort in me.” Angels who were well aware of the extent of the knowledge of Adam asked: “What is her name O Adaam?” He said: “Eve (Hawwa).” They asked him: “Why is it Hawwa?” Adam replied: “Because she was created from something living.“

* Transcribed from: Stories of the Prophets (peace be upon them) || Ibn Kathir
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12 December 2010

Sitting in a sunny and shady place

Q: What is the ruling on sitting half under the shade and half under the sun?

A: Sitting under shade and sun at the same time is Makruh (reprehensible) because the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade it, as related by Ibn Majah with a good Sanad (chain of narrators). It is authentically reported that the Prophet (may peace be upon) called it the "Sitting of Satan." (Related by Ahmad and Ibn Majah. May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions!

Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta'

Member:Bakr Abu Zayd
Member:Salih Al-Fawzan
Member:`Abdullah ibn Ghudayyan
Deputy Chairman:Abdul-`Aziz Al Al-Shaykh
Chairman:Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah ibn Baz

(Part No. 26; Page No. 386)
Fatwa no. 18980
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07 December 2010

Imaam al Albaanee on the Innovators


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04 December 2010

The Tenets of Faith


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